Fight Me (Just Kidding, Please Don't)
by fickleminder
Summary: Kiran can't wield a sword, lance or axe. They are terrified of heights and prone to falling off horses. They have no talent for magic and can't aim to shoot arrows or throw shurikens to save their life. They are a summoner and a tactician, but they are no warrior. They don't know how to use weapons, but that doesn't mean they're defenseless without one.


**Author's Note** : I'm becoming addicted to this game send help

* * *

 **Fight Me (Just Kidding, Please Don't)**

On one hand, Kiran has a legion of heroes summoned from other worlds ready to aid and protect them at a moment's notice. They make friends with them, these brave princesses, dancing duelists, quiet assassins, and everything else in-between. After all, they are willing to leave their homes to help fight for Askr's cause, so the least they can do is make them feel welcome.

On the other hand, Kiran's the weakest link in the chain of command. All it takes is one lucky – or rather, unlucky – shot at the summoner-cum-tactician for the rest of the army to falter, and much unlike the others, they cannot be revived. They know that, everybody knows that, but it goes unspoken amidst the rush of training, mission planning, and thwarting Veronica's latest scheme.

Then one day the portal closes before Kiran can escape with the others, and the only reason they make it back to Askr alive is because of Zacharias.

Then it begins.

* * *

"Good job, Kiran! Take five."

Kiran's arms all but give way as they collapse onto the ground with a groan, sprawled belly down after another set of pushups. Doing twenty at a time normally wouldn't make them break a sweat, but they've just gone through a vigorous two hours crash course known as Axes 101 and they feel ready to pass out for a week.

"Alright, that's enough lying around! Up and at 'em!"

"What, already? It hasn't even been two minutes yet!"

"No more excuses! Move it, soldier!"

On the far side of the training grounds, Alfonse and Sharena observe the session quietly.

"Despite the commander's optimism, I don't think Kiran's making much progress," Sharena comments.

They watch as one of the summoner's clumsy swings sends their axe flying. Anna's yelling rises in pitch and volume, causing the royal siblings to wince in sympathy.

Alfonse shakes his head. "They've had no luck with the sword or lance either," he points out, remembering the way Kiran had fumbled and dropped their sword several times, not to mention accidentally whacking themselves with their lance. The sheer amount of secondhand embarrassment had them quitting on their teachers' behalf.

It feels like hours before Anna finally calls it a day. Sharena runs off to fetch some water while Alfonse walks over to give Kiran some much needed help off the ground. Their hands are shaking as they grasp his, and he makes a mental note to talk to Anna about working their friend too hard.

* * *

 _This is hopeless_ , Kiran thinks to themselves, dragging their sore body back to the safety of their chambers.

Although Cherche insists that Minerva is totally harmless – at least to her friends – and the most adorable wyvern in the entire army, there is no way they're going anywhere near the reptile. It's one thing to read about fantasy creatures in storybooks; it's a completely different thing to see one live and up close, let alone ride it.

Either way it doesn't matter, because even Huey can't get five feet off the ground before Kiran's begging Florina to land her Pegasus. Their lunch doesn't make a reappearance, but it had been a close call. They've also lost count of the number of times Oscar had to pull them back into the saddle when his horse so much as trots, what with them slowly sliding off without noticing.

Kiran appreciates everyone's efforts to teach them how to better defend themselves, but they can't help but feel like they're wasting their time. Nothing seems to stick with them, and surely there's a limit to their teachers' patience.

It's not fair to the heroes to have to fight and watch out for them at the same time. Their attention should be on the battlefield, not their tactician. Kiran knows they're more than willing to play bodyguard if necessary, but they need numbers on their side to reduce casualties. It breaks their heart every time their friends get hurt in battle, especially if they'd been sent out alone with no support.

The very thought is enough to harden Kiran's resolve. Instead of returning to their chambers, they make a detour for the castle's storage rooms.

* * *

Cecilia and Henry don't understand the term 'muggle' at first, but the concept quickly becomes clear when incantation after incantation on Kiran's part fails to produce even the slightest breeze or spark. They don't seem very surprised by the lack of results; magic isn't something integral to their world as it is others. Cecilia is disappointed but at least she understands. Henry has to be dissuaded from performing some complicated dark ritual nobody's heard of to unlock Kiran's supposed dormant abilities.

Shooting arrows and throwing shurikens become open season for anyone within a ten meter radius. Behind the shelter of the castle walls, Alfonse can count on one hand the number of times Kiran's technique manages to land a hit on the target board. It's always at the edge, nowhere near the bullseye, but it's still something.

Nevertheless, Kiran's inability to master any kind of weapon is worrying. Alfonse is hard-pressed to blame them; they had lived in times of peace until Anna summoned them to Askr, something he and Sharena haven't quite forgiven themselves for. They didn't ask to get involved in someone else's war, and yet they graciously stayed to help. If anything, it falls on them to protect their summoner, arguably the most important member in the Order of Heroes.

Alfonse is jostled out of his thoughts when he hears Kiran shouting in alarm. He immediately scans the training grounds and sees it, a wayward shuriken whizzing towards Saizo. The ninja had been silently watching them practice with disinterest, and doesn't react except to simply tilt his head to one side, allowing the sharp projectile to embed itself into the tree trunk behind him. Clearly he had seen it coming before it even went anywhere near him, but that doesn't lessen the glare sent Kiran's way, causing the summoner to flinch and apologize meekly.

The prince doesn't notice the three figures scurrying away behind Kiran's back, only the fact that the rest of their shots don't land anywhere near the target board after that.

* * *

("Merric, I thought you said you could do this!"

"You try manipulating the wind without being too obvious!"

"He's right, Matthew. Kiran's aim may be terrible, but they've got a good arm. It's also harder to change the course of a shuriken than an arrow."

"Thank you, Gordin. Now both of you be quiet!"

"Seriously, how hard can it be? Just make the breeze a little stronger and direct it towards the target!"

"This is cheating, you know."

"We're trying to help raise their self-esteem! For the last time, let me focus before I - Uh oh."

"Oops."

"Saizo's looking our way! Scatter!")

* * *

Alfonse surveys the clearing warily, lowering his weapon only when he's certain all the Emblian soldiers in pursuit have been struck down.

"Clear!" He calls out, Folkvangr's tip digging into the ground as he leans heavily on it and catches his breath. Behind him, the vegetation rustles before Kiran comes hurrying out.

"Are you alright?" They fuss over the scratches on his armor and the stains of dirt and blood marring his once pristine white uniform. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize there would be reinforcements here."

"You don't have to apologize for that. There was no way you could have known." _If anyone should apologize, it's me_ , Alfonse thinks. He'd made it his personal mission to watch out for Kiran if there weren't any heroes deployed near them. This particular battle had them spreading out their forces, so he'd insisted they stay close to him to avoid getting ambushed. He hadn't factored in the possibility of being ganged up on, inadvertently putting Kiran in even more danger, but fortunately the summoner had the common sense to hide from sight and stay out of the way.

"Still, we should get you back to the healers at camp. Do you need any help?"

"That sounds good. I - Look out!"

A flash of blue light from the tree line has Alfonse shoving Kiran away with the flat of his sword, his other hand raising his shield to block the burst of magic aimed their way. The impact throws him across the clearing, leaving him winded on the ground.

"Alfonse!" Kiran cries out, about to rush to his side when they are joined by an unexpected party.

An Emblian mage emerges from the shadows of the forest, a cruel sneer on her face as she approaches the downed prince. She spares a glance at Kiran, scoffing at the pitiful sight of a pale summoner frozen in fear. Dismissing them as a non-threatening, she opens her tome and prepares to deal the final blow.

"Kiran, r-run!" Alfonse manages to choke out, valiantly struggling to stand. His limbs feel like lead and his body burns all over, but still he raises himself up as much as he can and tries to keep the mage's attention focused on him. He needs to buy time for Kiran to escape, to call for help, to -

"End of the line, Prince of Askr! I will - Ah!"

\- sneak up on the mage while she's distracted and send her tome flying into the air with a sharp kick to her hand.

The next thing Alfonse knows, Kiran's in front of him delivering a swift jab to the mage's throat followed by an elbow to her sternum. They finish her off with a knee to the gut, which all but drops the mage to the ground in a breathless, writhing heap. Her tome lands on the grass a few feet away with a soft thud, the pages slightly crumpled.

Seconds. Ordinary, unarmed Kiran took down a powerful tome-wielding mage in mere seconds. Alfonse blinks once, twice; the image before him remains unchanged. Either he's hit his head too hard during the fall, or Kiran's been holding back on them.

"Why do they always like to monologue?" Kiran mutters to themselves before kneeling next to him and checking him over for injuries. "Al, you okay?"

Alfonse continues to stare dumbly at the summoner, as though he's seeing them for the first time.

"Say something, please! Oh my god, did I break you?"

And that is when he decides it's a good time as any to pass out.

* * *

"Brother, you're awake!"

Alfonse comes to groggily, barely registering Sharena's arms around his shoulders helping him to sit up. Her assistance is greatly appreciated; his body doesn't quite feel like cooperating just yet. A quick glance around reveals the castle's infirmary, and he can hear the soft chatter of the healers outside his ward.

"You had us worried, you know?" Anna walks over from the other side of his bed, a relieved grin on her face. "Kiran brought you back to camp, carrying you in their arms like a swooning maiden. Imagine how much those pictures will fetch!"

"They what?!"

Sharena smacks the commander's shoulder playfully, giggling at her brother's open-mouthed horror. "Don't listen to her, Alfonse. Kiran carried you on their back, which was still pretty impressive to be honest. Good thing you were able to chase off that mage before you collapsed."

Alfonse's head is spinning. _Did Kiran not tell them?_ "Where are they now?" He asks instead.

"In the war council room debriefing the troops," Anna replies. "And I think Robin wanted to catch them afterwards to go through some strategies in case we ever run into unexpected reinforcements again."

"I'm sure they'll stop by to see you when they're done!" Sharena assures him. "In the meantime, you should get some rest. The healers said they'll release you if you're feeling better by the end of the day, so just take it easy!"

Accepting the freshly fluffed pillows Sharena arranges behind him, Alfonse settles back into bed and gathers his thoughts, preparing himself for what to say when the summoner finally visits. He ends up dozing off halfway, and the sun has long set by the time Lissa deems him well enough to leave.

Kiran never shows up.

* * *

There are muffled sounds emanating from behind the thick wooden doors to Kiran's chambers. Something is being hit repeatedly amidst the blare of what Alfonse suspects passes as music in the summoner's world. It's loud and angry and if it reflects anything about their mood then it's probably a good idea to back off, but he's come too far to retreat now.

"Kiran?" Alfonse knocks tentatively. "May I come in?"

The room on the other side immediately goes silent. A few minutes pass, and just when Alfonse thinks Kiran is ignoring him or trying to pretend they aren't there, the doors open. Dressed in a loose shirt and sweatpants, Kiran greets him with a tired smile as they step back to let him through.

"My apologies for the disturbance. Was I interrupting - Your hands!" Alfonse gasps, taking their wrists and rubbing gingerly at the reddened skin. To his dismay, he notices that their knuckles are raw and bruised as well. "What happened to you?"

They shrug nonchalantly. "I was training."

Things start to fall into place as Alfonse looks around. The lone pillar in Kiran's chambers has been lined with pillows and cushions, tied there with pieces of rope from the storage rooms. On the dressing table nearby lies a small pile of old bandages, off-white and smelling slightly next to a small rectangular device that he recognizes as a music player.

"I used to practice martial arts back home," Kiran explains, leading him towards their bed to sit down. "I didn't particularly enjoy it, but my parents insisted. Guess we have them to thank for yesterday, huh?"

Their hands are trembling almost imperceptibly, but Alfonse can sense it in his. He gives them a gentle squeeze in comfort. "That we do. I must admit, I did not expect you to defeat that mage so swiftly. It seems you are not as defenseless as you appear."

"Oh please, if you hadn't kept her busy, I wouldn't have had the element of surprise. Besides, my skills are hardly useful against someone armed and in armor."

"Regardless, it is heartening to know that you were unharmed during the battle."

Kiran's face falls suddenly. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you in the infirmary. After what happened, I needed some time to process things. I -" They pause, swallowing heavily. "I hate fighting, but I understand that it's necessary in war. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't do my part, especially since I send you all to your potential deaths every time we go on a mission."

"It's not the same," Alfonse argues, shaking his head fervently. "If you die, I can't - We can't bring you back, but you can always revive us after -"

"I know that!" The summoner wrenches their hands away and wraps their arms around themselves, looking down. "It's just, I've never - Yesterday was my first time in an actual fight. I've sparred with training partners before, but I've never attacked anyone with the intention to hurt them. That mage… She was going to kill you, and that scared the shit out of me. I was so angry; I didn't think, I just moved. But even after, I couldn't bring myself to - to end it, once and for all. I just left her there and hightailed it back to camp with you."

The guilt of dragging Kiran into their conflict has never felt so great. They may not be a warrior on the front lines, but they still have a hand in all the death and destruction as a tactician. Given their position, learning how to protect themselves means fighting back when the situation calls for it. They have no choice, and the realization tears Alfonse's heart into pieces. He pulls them into a hug, cradling their head against his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't. I swear, you will never have to go through that again."

"You can't protect me all the time." Kiran clutches at his sleeves, holding on tightly as though it's the only thing keeping them sane. "It's not fair. The other heroes need you too."

"I don't care. I will gladly take on anyone who stands in my way. Let me fight for you in your stead, please."

Tears gathering at the corners of their eyes, Kiran stifles a sob and nods.

"Good. Now, no more training for the rest of the day. Allow me to escort you to the healers for some salve instead."

Alfonse helps the summoner to their feet, keeping them pressed closely to his side as they make their way out. His gaze travels to the beat up cushions on the pillar when he turns to close the door, and somehow he can't help but feel like he's already lost something precious he can never get back.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : This got a bit angstier than expected but thanks for reading!


End file.
